Alloy.



, turing fancy articles, large or small, where.

uni-ran snares lPZTENE @FFTCJE.

' ARTHUR LYELL nnooxn AND ROBERT DUNBAR MACKINTOSH, or Mountains,

ENGLAND.

ALLOY.

allo containin aluminium nickel and.

magnesium which is'suitable for manufacstrength, malleability, lightness, durability and polish are required. The alloy is particularly suitable, for the manufacture of surgical and scientific instruments, and

roller skates and accessories. It can also be pared by heating an oxid'or hydrate j of.

' into suitable molds.

advantageously employed'in the manufacture of kitchen utensils, motor car, steam and railway. fittings of all kinds, engine parts -and .propellers, electrical fittings, ac-

cessories for flying machines and the like.

The alloy is produced by melting alu-- minium in a suit-able crucible, and then al-- lowing it to cool. When cold an oxid of nickel isya'dded and covered with light or n magnesium xid mixed With a 'material'which has a reducing tendency,

such as powdered wood charcoal; The

cruc'ibleis then'heated to a temperatureofl600' C. whereupon metallic magnesium is added, care being, taken that the molten metal is kept well covered with ,thezreducing material in order to preventiqnition and I to "stir {the oxidation. It is also importan mixture of aluminium and nickel w th a carbon rod before adding the metallic mag nesium in order to promote the admixture of the metals: "The alloy may also 'bezlprenickel lII' fl.; crucible with a reducing agent" so as to produce metallic nickel. I The tem- I perature is; then raised, the requiredpropou tion of pure aluminium is added, and'f the mass is well. stirred. A small quantity of :metallic zinc 'is added to the mixture together with alittle zinc chlorid for the purpose of refining the alloy.

added, and after stirring the alloy is poured In order thatfthe nature of the invention layer of a mixture of carbon and I A suitable quantity of metallic magnesium is then j above described is placed 100 kilos of alumay be clearly understood it will now be described inaccordance with the following examples:-

Before use the crucible, which should be well annealed is lined with a paste consisting of 70 parts of heavy magnesium oxid and 20 parts of pulverized charcoal mixed with a suitable quantity of water. The heavy magnesium oxid can'be replaced if desired by aluminium hydrate. The object of lining the crucible in this manner is to prevent the oxid and molten metal from coming into contact with the bare walls of the crucible whereby double silicates may be formed.

The light magnesium oxid above referred to is the well known product prepared by precipitating a dilute solution of Epsom salts in the cold with sodium carbonate, washing with boiling water and drying at 100 C. The heavy magneslum oxid is obtained by adding sodium carbonate solution to a boiling-concentrated solution of Epsom salts,'-evaporating to dryness, digesting with water, filtering and washing and finally drying at 100 C.

' Example -1: In a crucible prepared as above described is placed 85'kilos aluminium,

and the crucible heated until the aluminium melts, whereupon it is allowed to cool.

15jkilos of nickel mon'oxid (NiO) or nickelhydrate (Ni(OH) or I nickeI sesqui-oxid '(Ni O "is then added andcovered with a F heavy or light magnesium oxid (MgO). The

contents of thecrucible. are then heated to a temperature" of 1600- C. and the molten mass thoroughly stirred with a carbon rod,

15 kilos of metallic magnesium in the form of rods arethen added and allowed to melt and mix with the other materials in the cruclble. Care should be taken during thisop- .eration to "add suflicient carbon in order to "keepthe alloy well covered as to prevent ignition and oxidation. When the magnesium has been melted and thoroughly mixed with 'theother materials, the molten alloy is .poured into suitable molds, the dross being carefully removed while pouring.

Example 2: In a crucible prepared as minium which is heated to the melting point and then allowed ,to cool. 16.5 kilos of nickel sesqui-oxid are then added which is covered with a mixture of carbon and heavy or light magnesium oxid. The crucible is then heated until a temperature of 1600 C. has been attained and the molten'mass is well stirred with a carbon rod in order to promote the admixture of the different materials. 7.5 kilos of metallic magnesium is then added in the form of as to reduce the nickel, 85 kilos of aluminium are then added, and when melted the crucible isallowed to cool to abright red heat say 900 C. when 1 to 5 kilos ofmagne' sium is added. This melts at once and when the metals have been thoroughly mixed together the alloy ,may be poured into the molds.

The new alloy can also be prepared in the manner described in the above examples, the component materials being used in the following proportions 2- A B Aluminium 90 kilos 75 kilos Nickel monoxid L 10 kilos 20 kilos Magnesium 1 to 5 kilos 1 to 5 kilos C D E Aluminium 90 kilos 90 kilos 100 kilos Nickel sesqui-oxid 5 kilos 10 kilos 5 kilos Magnesium 5 kilos 11} to 5 kilos 1% to 5 kilos Example 4: In a crucible coated as above described is placed 10 to kilos of chemically pure nickel oxid (green). This oxid is reduced-to the metallic state under a layer of charcoal at a white heat, say 1300 C. The temperature is then raised to a dazzling white heatwhich corresponds to about 1500 or 1600 C. and metallic aluminium is added in proportion sufiicient to bring the total weight of metal to 100 kilos. The alumininm which should be of 99.7% purity is previously heated in order to avoid cooling the metal in the crucible. When all the aluminium has been melted the mixture is 'well stirred with suitable rods whereupon the crucible is taken from the furnace and the carbon removed from the top of the molten metal. About th kilo of zinc for each hundred kilos of the mixture is then added together with 25 to 30 grams of chlorid of ZlIlC, the mixture being well stirred so that the dross is broughtto the top of the molten metal whence it can be readilyremoved. The temperature is raised again to a cherry red heat, about 1000 C. whereupon the crucible is taken from the furnace "and l%- of pure magnesium shavings are The use of magnesium in this way has the effect of removing impurities from the alloy,

although a small quantity of the magnesium is retained in the alloy. H

Example 5: The process described in the previous example is carried'out as above described, and the same proportions of materials are used, unless nickel sesq ui-oxid is employedinstead of the monoxid when the proportions are increased in accordance with the molecular weight, for instance 165 parts of nickel sesqui-oxidwill be used in place of 149 parts of nickel monoxid to givethe same yield of nickel. When the zinc and zinc chlorid have been added the molten metal is cast into ingots and allowed to cool. 50 to..99 parts of the alloy is then re-melted, and 50 to 7 parts of pure magnesium preferably in the form of rods is added. The metallic magnesium is allowed to melt under a layer of charcoal or fiuorspar and sodium chlorid and is then well stirred and skimmed and cast in suitably prepared sand molds. For stirring it is desirable to use a carbon rod which not only permits the admixture of the various ingredients, but owing to the formation of carbonic oxid protects the metals from oxidation. The magnesium added to the alloy has the efiect of removing any impurities which may have been cont-ained in the nickel oxid used and it also reduces any occluded carbonic oxid in the mass forming magnesia and causing the carbon to separate out as graphite.-

Example 6: In a crucible'prepared as above described 10 to 50 kilos of nickel oxid is reduced to the metallic state in accordance with the process outlined inExample 1. In another crucible prepared in the same manner sufficient aluminium to bring the total Weight of aluminium and nickel to 100 kilos is heated to a dazzling white heat corresponding to 1500 to 1600 degrees C. The aluminium is melted under a layer of carbon and argol crude cream of tartar). Another crucible prepared as above described is heated to a bright red heat, and the component metals are poured together into this third crucible, being well stirred while pouring and then cast into ingots in suitable molds. 50 to 99 parts of this alloy of nickel and aluminium is then taken and from 50 to 1 parts of magnesium are added to the molten aluminium nickel alloy, that is to say, from 50 to 99 parts of the aluminium nickel alloy are taken'and alloyed with a quantity of magnesium equal to the difi'er'- ence between the aforesaid weight and 100. The mixture is allowed to melt under a layer of carbon and argol, and after being vig- The alloy prepared in accordance with:

this invention is light, homogeneous, strong and n'1alleable,-takes a high polish and can be wroughtboth hot and cold, cast and rolled. It resists the action of most dilute acid and alkaline solutions.

It should be understood that all ingredients used should be chemically pure, and the new alloy can also be prepared by varying the proportions of the component materials above indicated.

'It is well-known that the character of many alloys is changed on re-casting, and that scraps of an alloy when re-melted, do not usually produce a useful alloy unless a certain quantity of new material is added. For instance an alloy which is highly malleable,-ductile and tenacious may when remelted from scraps of the material result in a brittle and unworkable alloy. If, however, a quantityof the alloy manufactured in accordance with this invention is added to thescraps the combination may form an alloy superior in many respectsto the original one.

It should be. observed that the crucibles used in preparing this alloy should be reserved especially for the purpose and no crucibles which have been used. for preparing other alloys should be employed.

It is desirable to use tilting furnaces for carrying out the operations herein described.

\Ve claim as our invention 1. The process of producing an alloy of aluminium, nickel and magnesium which comprises heating an oxygen compound of nickel with a reducing agent so as to produce metallic nickel, raising the temperature to a white heat, adding aluminium thereto, stirring the same, and finally adding magnesium.

2. The process of producing an alloy of aluminium, nickel and magnesium, which comprises reducing 10 to 50 parts of nickel o Xid with carbon at a white heat, raising the temperature to a dazzling white heat. adding suflicient aluminium to bring the total weight of metal to 100 parts, removing the carbon from the top of the molten metal,

adding th part of zinc for each 100 parts of metal, adding a small quantity of chlorid of zinc, raising the temperature to a cherryred heat, and adding magnesium thereto.

3. The process of producing an alloy of aluminium, nickel and magnesium, which comprises reducing nickel oXid with carbon adding aluminium and a small quantity of zinc and Zinc chlorid thereto, then adding magnesium which. is permitted to ignite in contact with the alloy.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names this fourteenth day of June 1910.

ARTHUR LYELL BROOKE. p ROBERT DUNBAR MACKINTOSHI lVitnesses:

ARTHUR A.- BERGIN, R. S. ANDERSON. 

